Reviews | Written by Andrew Pollard 08/11/2017

THE DEVIL’S REJECTS

The Devil’s Rejects is the second feature film of rocker-turned-director Rob Zombie. Originally released back in 2005, the second outing for Zombie’s infamous Firefly family is now getting a swanky new Blu-ray release from the guys at Umbrella Entertainment. We’re sure many horror hounds out there are keen to see whether this new release is worth picking up, so let’s get to it.

To quickly touch on the loose synopsis, The Devil’s Rejects sees three of the nefarious Firefly clan – Otis (Bill Moseley), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) – on the run after a no-nonsense lawman, William Forsythe’s Sheriff Wydell, becomes hellbent on bringing the murderous group to justice one and for all, and by any means necessary. Along the way, we have appearances from genre favourites such as Ken Foree, Michael Berryman and Priscilla Barnes, not to mention further Firefly alumnus in Matthew McGrory’s Tiny and Leslie Easterbrook’s Mother Firefly; Easterbrook replacing Karen Black in the Mother gig after Black asked for more moolah to reprise her House of 1000 Corpses role. The end result is a thrill ride that’s overflowing with gritty gore, charismatic carnage, and some truly twisted turns, not to mention some insta-quotable dialogue (“Don’t you never turn your back on a fuckin’ clown when he’s talkin’ to you!”) and a soundtrack that is pitch perfect for the beats Zombie is looking to hit throughout this tormented tale.

For many of your reading this, you likely already know all of the above - for many have a special place in their heart for The Devil’s Rejects. While House of 1000 Corpses was, of course, Zombie’s attention-grabbing debut, the Halloween remake arguably his most well-known film, Halloween II his biggest stinker, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto an oft-overlooked gem, The Lords of Salem his most bizarre, and 31 his most ‘Rob Zombie movie’ to date, it’s The Devil’s Rejects that’s easily the best picture of Zombie’s time in the director’s chair. If you liked The Devil’s Rejects back then, you’ll still love it just as much now, if not more so given the sharp Blu-ray transfer here. But you’re probably not here for us to tell you whether The Devil’s Rejects as a film is actually any good. So, let’s get to that extra content, shall we?

When it comes to the special features included in this new release, this Blu-ray has a whole bunch of material that’s, as far as we’re aware, yet to be featured on any previous DVD or Blu-ray release of The Devil’s Rejects here in the UK. The majority of the extras are relatively short looks behind the scenes of the movie, plus some fun features based around certain elements from within the world of The Devil’s Rejects itself; elements such as Captain Spaulding’s Christmas ad, Otis’ unhinged home movies, or the faux (and marvellous!) Morris Green Show. These are all interesting little bitesize chunks that are easy to digest, although many fans may have been hoping for a substantial documentary or even a chat track. Sadly, we don’t get either of those things, but one thing we do get is a completely badass artwork cover for the release in which Moseley’s Otis takes centre-stage.

All in all, if you enjoy Zombie’s work and, in particular, The Devil’s Rejects, this should be a no-brainer of a purchase. A crisp transfer that has you experiencing – and flinching at – every sick and twisted turn, The Devil’s Rejects looks at its blood-soaked best here, and the cover art alone should be enough to sway the Zombie diehards out there. And with Rob himself finally now confirming plans for a third Firefly feature, there’s never been a better time to get yourself introduced with those dastardly Devil’s Rejects and their gore-laden antics.